Slacking

In contrast to yesterday’s post, I’m going to talk a bit today about slacking, and how it can be a good thing for some of us.

There are a lot of times when I’m “working” that it looks suspiciously like I’m “watching Top Gear.” Though I put both of these in quotes, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive. When I’m having a problem getting my brain to move on a story problem or a character issue, I find getting away from it for a few minutes can be quite helpful.

Though it looks like I’m procrastinating, I like to think I’m incubating ideas. And, as it does tend to work, I’m not just making up some bullshit because I want to watch TV rather than work.

Slacking off for a bit at a time can be immensely helpful, if for no other reason than it resets your brain. The dangerous bit is if you find yourself slacking more than you’re working. I did that once, and didn’t finish anything for about eight years. So, you know, use with caution.

Any tricks for getting your brain to work around a particular problem?